Lapping one or more bars of sliders for the hard disk drive (HDD) industry can involve contacting a surface of the one or more bars with a surface of a rotating lapping plate so as to remove material from the surface of the one or more bars and provide a desired surface. Abrasive material can be used to help abrade the material from the one or more bars. Abrasive material can be fixed to the lapping plate and/or be dispensed onto the surface of the lapping plate (e.g., as an abrasive slurry) during lapping.
FIG. 1 diagrammatically depicts a lapping tool 100 used for machining a surface of a slider. The tool 100 has a rotating lapping plate 102 defining a lapping surface 104 which can help abrade the surface of a ceramic material such as AlTiC. If desired, an abrasive slurry can be applied to the lapping surface 104 to enhance the abrading action as the lapping surface 104 is rotated relative to a slider bar 106 containing a plurality of the sliders held in a pressing engagement against the lapping surface 104. A lapping plate can be used for a variety of lapping processes such as rough lapping, fine lapping, and kiss lapping.
Also, a lubricant composition, which is separate from any abrasive slurry, can be applied to the lapping surface 104 during lapping to facilitate one or more of removing heat from the one or more bars during lapping, lubricating the interface between any abrasive materials and the surface of the one or more bars being lapped, and removing “swarf” from the at least a portion of the one or more bars being lapped and/or at least the portion of the lapping plate that contacts the one or more bars being lapped. As used herein, “swarf” refers to filings/shavings of material (e.g., ceramic material) removed from the one or more bars being lapped by the abrading action of the lapping plate.
There is a continuing desire to find alternative lubricant compositions for lapping slider bars.